I`m saddened when I hear people including Doctors say this. Della and I have attended a lot of health seminars in the past few years. We’ve heard a lot of Doctors speak. Their theme is pretty consistent. What we eat and our environment are the prime contributors to chronic illness. In the last 40 years we’ve focussed on easy to prepare meals. Most often this means packaged, pre-prepared meals. People don’t have garden anymore and rely on fruit and vegetables from supermarkets. Those fruit and vegetables are picked before they are ripened and likely transported hundreds if not thousands of kilometers. Their nutritional value is very low. Thankfully the use of market gardens and in home aeroponic systems are on the rise. What’s the result, more and more people suffer from inflammation. Inflammation is the prime source of chronic illness. Diabetes, heart problems, depression and other issues like ADHD and anxiety are rising.Time Cover Jan 18, 2010 This famous Time article ran in 2010. Your genetics does not necessarily determine your future. Life style is 80% responsible, genetics 20%. 4 The recommended servings of fruit and vegetables are 5-10 a day. While I try to achieve that, I seldom do. So I use Juice Plus+ as a bridge between what I should eat and what I do eat. This is supported by science including the following:`The daily consumption of fruits and vegetables is a common dietary recommendation to support good health. We hypothesized that a commercially available encapsulated fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrate (FVJC) could support functional indices of health due to increased intake of various phytonutrients. 1`Fruit and vegetable consumption has been heralded for its ability to decrease the overall risk of developing cancer and other diseases. Mounting evidence supports the beneficial nature of antioxidants, carotenoids, and other phytonutrients found in fruits and vegetables. One proposed mechanism of antioxidant protection is the shielding of cellular DNA from oxidative damage and therefore mutations. This may be especially helpful in older populations. We tested the concept that a daily regimen of supplementation with fruit and vegetable extracts (JuicePlus™) would reduce the amount of DNA damage in the peripheral lymphocytes of the elderly. In a blind study, a group of twenty elderly volunteers (mean age=68) were given supplements twice daily for 80 days with blood samples drawn before and after intervention. 2`Chronic inflammation contributes to many prevalent diseases worldwide, and it is widely accepted that inflammatory molecules contribute to DNA damage. 3Other related studies. There are three exciting medical developments to keep an eye on: Epigenetics. Functional Medicine and MicroBiome. To be upfront Della and I don’t have medical credentials beyond advanced first aid Sources:

Journal of Nutrition, Immunity and Antioxidant Capacity in Humans Is Enhanced by Consumption of a Dried, Encapsulated Fruit and Vegetable Juice Concentrate,

Meri P. Nantz,

Cheryl A. Rowe,

Carmelo Nieves Jr., and

Susan S. Percival*

Science Direct, Supplementation with fruit and vegetable extracts may decrease DNA damage in the peripheral lymphocytes of an elderly population